pull a sickie

verb

To skip work or school or avoid an obligation by pretending to be sick.

Similar
chuck a sickiethrow a sickie
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Meanings

verbpull a sickie (third-person singular simple present pulls a sickie, present participle pulling a sickie, simple past and past participle pulled a sickie)

present singular third person pulls a sickie · participle present pulling a sickie · participle past pulled a sickie · past pulled a sickie

  1. AustraliaNew ZealandUKslangTo skip work or school or avoid an obligation by pretending to be sick.

    But not all excuses for pulling a sickie are equal, it seems.

    2015 November 7, Lucy White, “The most acceptable reasons to take a sick day revealed”, in The Independent
    1 more example

    We decided to check exactly what your boss can - and can't - do to employees who bunk off, tune in at work, slide off to the pub or pull a sickie.

    2016 June 16, James Andrews, Julia Rampen, “Can you be sacked for watching England-Wales at work? These are your rights”, in Daily Mirror

    Synonyms: chuck a sickie, throw a sickie

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo skip work or school or avoid an obligation by pretending to be sick.

Similar
chuck a sickiethrow a sickie
Also see
chuck a sickiesham abrahamthrow a sickie

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 射波
  • 射波 (se⁶ bo¹)to feign illness so to take time off work
Finnish ilmoittautua sairaaksi, pinnata (töistä)
  • ilmoittautua sairaaksito feign illness so to take time off work
  • pinnata (töistä)to feign illness so to take time off work
French se faire porter pâle
  • se faire porter pâleto feign illness so to take time off work
German krankfeiern
  • krankfeiernto feign illness so to take time off work
Māori whakangehengehe
  • whakangehengeheto feign illness so to take time off work
Polish but see udawać chorego
  • but see udawać choregoto feign illness so to take time off work

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with pull a sickie

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Cite this entry
APA

pull a sickie. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20a%20sickie

MLA

“pull a sickie.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20a%20sickie. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull a sickie,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20a%20sickie.

Source: pull a sickie on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.